- Summer vacation: a time of relaxation and a test for parents
- Keeping older children busy
- Building a close relationship with younger children
- Leaving exotic trips for later
Summer vacation: a time of relaxation and a test for parents
Summer vacation offers a great chance to break away from stressful work and routines, allowing for moments of peace and relaxation.
However, ensuring their engagement and busyness becomes a priority for families with small children. Summer is a break not only for working adults but also for young kindergarteners and elementary school students.
Parents must encourage a structured routine when children's vacations begin, ensuring days are spent meaningfully and actively. Planning family vacations also involves teaching children to behave politely, and avoiding tantrums and whims.
While vacations should create memorable moments for both parents and children, this idyllic vision can be overshadowed by overworked parents and upset kids.
To avoid this, here are some tips to keep children engaged and well-behaved during summer, whether spending days at home or planning vacation trips.
Keeping older children busy
Whether you're preparing for a family trip to the sea, a countryside visit, or staying home, remember that school-aged children are usually full of energy and need to stay busy. Ensure they can release their energy by spending time outdoors, walking, hiking, enjoying water activities, visiting playgrounds, organizing sports competitions, and riding bicycles.
This helps children use up their energy, making them more obedient and calm.
Additionally, devote time to children's education even in the summer. Encourage drawing, sculpting, handicrafts, dance or song contests, and storytelling.
Also, maintain a flexible vacation schedule that provides structure. Assign simple chores to teach responsibility and include quiet activities like reading or napping. Limit screen time to educational programs or interactive games[1].
Building a close relationship with younger children
For younger children, such as kindergarteners, constant activity and employment are important, but so is building a close relationship through play. Engage in your children's games and show genuine interest in their activities[2].
Plans may not always go smoothly. If your child becomes tense, angry, or upset, avoid saying phrases like "calm down" or "stop," as they tend to increase tension.
React calmly and normally, without escalating the situation. To calm the child's mood, show more attention through patting, hugging, and praising.
Leaving exotic trips for later
While many families enjoy planning trips abroad during the summer, it's better to save long and far trips for when children are older. Small children can find long trips stressful, increasing their stress levels.
If traveling with very small children, plan responsibly without overbooking. Ensure there's time to enjoy planned activities and quality time with your family.
Prepare children for the trip well in advance by talking about the journey and activities. Discuss expected behaviors at the airport and on the plane with older children.
Do not expect perfect behavior from your child throughout the trip. Small children communicate their stress through behavior, with tantrums and grumbling being natural and justified reactions[3].
Maintain discipline even on vacation, and avoid saying yes to everything your child asks for. Holidays should not be a time to blindly indulge them; toddlers need boundaries and consistency.
Understand that tantrums on vacation can be as frequent as at home, if not more. The perfect family vacation seen in films or ads is a myth. Striving for such an illusion adds stress, which children can sense, making them anxious. So, relax during the holidays, and a good mood for your children and the whole family will follow.
